Dubois County enacts one-year moratorium on commercial solar applications
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Summary
The Dubois County Board of Commissioners adopted Ordinance 2025-16 on Dec. 15, 2025, placing a temporary strategic moratorium on new commercial solar applications in unincorporated county areas until Dec. 15, 2026, to allow time for updated regulations and a technical review.
The Dubois County Board of Commissioners voted Dec. 15 to adopt Ordinance 2025-16, a temporary strategic moratorium on filing, processing or acceptance of applications for commercial or large-scale solar energy systems in the county’s unincorporated areas. Unidentified Speaker 1, who read the ordinance aloud during the meeting, said the moratorium "shall be enacted within Dubois County, Indiana commencing on the date of this ordinance" and will remain in effect until Dec. 15, 2026, or until the board adopts new ordinance language.
Why it matters: Commissioners said the pause will let the county develop or revise its rules so land-use standards for siting, construction, maintenance and decommissioning align with local priorities and best practices. Proponents at the meeting, including residents and organized groups, urged the board to address public-safety and transparency concerns tied to large solar projects and associated battery-energy storage systems.
What the ordinance does: The ordinance tasks the board with forming a technical review committee to recommend amendments to Dubois County’s solar regulations, and it exempts projects that already hold valid county permits. The measure also allows for future amendment or repeal by the commission.
Public response at the meeting was mixed but strongly engaged. Mark Nowatarski of the Coalition Against the Midstates Corridor and the Property Rights Alliance urged withdrawal of the county’s membership in the Midstates Corridor Regional Development Authority and said the RDA "no longer meets that standard" of transparency and mandate. Several residents questioned whether battery-energy storage systems tied to solar arrays fall under county permitting and expressed concern about size and safety of battery installations.
Next steps: Commissioners said a technical review committee will be formed to consider ordinance revisions and that the moratorium will be revisited if legal counsel or new information requires changes. The ordinance was passed by motion and voice vote; the board did not provide a detailed roll-call tally in the public record.
